REACH LIST 2017: Top five high street chains

With H Samuel being present in nearly every city in the UK, it is unsurprising that the business has a strong reach online.

In fact, an independent study into the most searched for jewellery companies over the last 12 months placed H Samuel on top, as the multiple jewellery retailer cited 49,914 organic Google searches. In second place was its fellow Signet jewellery retailer, Ernest Jones, which has come third in the high street chains section of the 2017 Professional Jeweller Reach List.

So what’s the secret to Signet’s success? In an exclusive interview with our sister publication Watch Pro, the jewellery company’s president and chief customer officer, Seb Hobbs, revealed its the foundations of the company’s ‘customer first’ strategy.

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Hobbs shared: “As customers shift towards online channels, Signet is responding to the change by enhancing our capabilities to succeed in this evolving retail landscape. Our digital marketing and online presence is more pronounced than ever, and we are continuing to invest in and direct more resources to improve the key elements of the overall customer digital journey.

“We realigned our executive organisational structure around this imperative, creating a new role of president and chief customer officer, and strengthened our board of directors to enhance our focus on delivering an outstanding multi-channel experience to customers.”

When it comes to social media H Samuel specialises in responding quickly to customer queries, and promoting its platforms as a place shoppers can be heard.

In fact, the retailer now has a dedicated customer query page on Twitter where consumers can speak to someone from the team more quickly and efficiently.

Like independent jewellery retailer John Greed, the national retailer also uses its social media channels to connect with consumers on a lifestyle level. For instance, after a couple got engaged on the X Factor, H Samuel shared the video with a ‘congratulations’ and a link for those looking to ‘shop the ring’, and it often posts stylised images with jewellery being captured alongside other complementary product categories.